Sunshine to sunflower

For many Wildcats, Kansas State University is known for its feeling of family, but for real-life sisters Reagan and Reese Richards that means more than just wearing purple.

Becoming a Wildcat

K-State is home to nearly 4,000 out-of-state students, including these two South Central Florida natives. Older sister Reagan knew she always wanted to travel out-of-state to study agriculture but struggled to choose a location until she visited Manhattan, Kansas.

“K-State was the only school I toured, and I just loved the campus. I also liked how the faculty members I spoke with were not only trying to wow me, but they were also trying to make connections with my sister and my parents,” Reagan says.

When the time came to make a final decision, Reagan decided K-State was the place for her because of the strength of the College of Agriculture and the proximity to her relatives in the Kansas City area.

For younger sister Reese, she says the feeling of connection was much the same. Reese, who first toured K-State when Reagan did, decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps.

“Reagan always came home with such great stories about K-State, and that made me really want to come here,” Reese says.

Gaining a network

The Richards sisters grew up as sixth generation agriculturalists in Avon Park, Florida. When Reagan decided to pursue a major in agricultural and natural resources communications and Reese decided to study agricultural education, it was no surprise to their friends and family.

For them, being involved in FFA was foundational says Reese.

“FFA was one of the main reasons I chose agricultural education as my major, because I really want to inform people about agriculture and spread information that people might not know or understand about it, because agriculture is involved in our daily lives,” Reese says.

Reagan says each holding the office of chapter president gave them opportunities to travel across the country, which allowed them to build an agricultural network beyond Florida.

“Traveling for FFA sparked the idea inside me to travel out-of-state to study agriculture,” Reagan says.

Diverging paths

Once coming to K-State, Reagan joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, College of Agriculture Ambassadors and the local chapter of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.

She is also involved in a weekly segment of the student radio station, Wildcat 91.9 called “Ag with Reagan.” In this weekly radio segment, Reagan explains common topics and answers frequently asked questions about agriculture.

As a first-year student, Reese is involved in the Agricultural Education Club and is looking to be more involved within the university.

“My best advice to Reese and other freshman in the College of Agriculture is to get involved,” Reagan says. “There are so many clubs within the College of Agriculture that offer opportunities for involvement. They will help to build memories, gain friends and apply in-class learning.”

Holding the connection

Now that the sisters are in Kansas together, they have reestablished some of their favorite habits says Reese.

“Anything that involves hanging out with Reese is my favorite thing to do together. I really missed the connection of having my sister with me while we were apart. It feels like a piece of me is back,” Reagan says.

They say the main difference for them now is their environment.

“I felt a little behind coming to Kansas not knowing as much about row crop production, so I ended up taking some grain science classes to gain information about common row crops in Kansas,” Reagan says.

The soil in Florida is much sandier than the soil in Kansas, the crops grown in Florida include various fruits, peanuts, potatoes and sugarcane, which is different than the corn, soybeans and wheat widely grown in Kansas says Reese.

Aside from agriculture, there are some things the sisters miss about Florida, including their pets, the food, the warm weather and their hometown.

“The part of Florida we’re from is very homey. I miss seeing all the trees and the lakes in our area,” Reagan says.

Neither of the sisters know what they want to do as a career after graduation but they both would like to spend time traveling.

For new out-of-state students who found their way to K-State’s College of Agriculture, Reagan offers this advice.

“If you’re thinking about trying something new, step outside of your comfort zone. Whether that be joining a new club or moving 1,200 miles away from home, do it. It could be more rewarding than you know.”

 

Hannah Albers is a junior in agricultural and natural resources communications. This story originally appeared in the spring 2026 edition of The Agriculturist — the student-produced magazine of the College of Agriculture.